New Departures Pier

A pier adjacent to the current terminal is being built to be operational by late 2008, the new pier will provide additional 5,800 sqm of passenger circulation and retail space at the first floor level. The Pier will feature a waiting area for departing passengers with approximately 1,800 seats with improved levels of seating, new bathrooms, prayer rooms and the provision of a wider choice of retail, food and beverage outlets, combined with excellent views of the apron, will all contribute towards a significant improvement in the departing passenger experience.

The first floor interior is a combination of marble and carpeted floors, with Omani themed decor and feature lighting. The first floor is connected to the existing first floor terminal building.

An escalator and staircase will take passengers down to the ground floor level which has a capacity of 3,200 sqm of circulation, the ground floor will feature eight new bus boarding gates each with an approximate capacity of 160 seats, lifts are also provided. The ground floor features a combination of marble and vinyl floor coverings. In total the new pier will be able to accommodate 3,000 passengers.

Also on the ground floor a new fully automated transfer baggage screening and processing facility will improve baggage connectivity and offer even greater levels of security.

The new Pier which is due for completion in late 2008, will provide an increase in passenger seating area and departure boarding gates from 13 to 21.

The external appearance of the Pier has been designed to match the existing terminal building.

The contract was awarded at a total cost of R.O. 9 million.
 

Planned Interim Terminal Expansion
Prior to the new facility being opened, traffic through Muscat International Airport is expected to increase, the growth in passenger numbers is being driven by a number of factors including fleet and route expansion for the national carrier Oman Air, the growth and development of the tourist industry within the Sultanate and the booming economy in the region.

A number of projects are therefore underway to deliver additional capacity to meet the expected increase in passenger demand specifically in the passenger processing areas, this is to ensure that passengers using the facility can still enjoy a comfortable and convenient experience as they arrive, depart or transfer through Muscat International Airport.

The airport expansion projects will deliver a new road network within the airport complex to improve traffic flows and facilitate passenger drop off and collection. At the same time an extension and reconfiguration of the car parks will add a 40% increase in the number of parking spaces.

Access to the terminal for departing passengers will be via an extended shaded kerbside drop off facility. The landside departures hall is being reconfigured and extended from 475 m2 to 700m2 to provide a more pleasant experience for departing passengers with new food, beverage and shopping facilities.

There will be an increase in the pre- X Ray queuing space for departing passengers and additional two X Ray screening machines will speed up the passenger processing for pre-departures, an extension of the check-in hall will increase the number of check-in counters from 39 to 54, additional facilities are also planned to increase the numbers of emigration desks and hand baggage security points.

For arriving passengers a re-configuration of the immigration hall has been designed which will improve the processing capability. In addition an extension to the baggage reclaim hall will provide an additional reclaim carousel which will improve baggage offloading capacity and delivery times. The hall will also be provided with new bathrooms.

New office space will be constructed for airline offices to ensure that there is adequate space and facilities for their business to grow and for new airlines to commence operations at the airport.

These significant improvements to the passenger terminal building will be take place in phases during 2008 with several phases already under construction. The entire program is due for completion in late 2009.
 

Renovation and Refurbishment of the Terminal Building
Muscat International Airport has completed a major renovation and refurbishment project, the following work has been completed between the last quarter of 2007 and the first quarter of 2008.

1. Renovation and refurbishment works for 22 toilets in the terminal building.
2. Full internal and external painting and panel decoration in the terminal building.
3. Installing new carpets and replacing all handrails with stainless steel
4. Installing backlit neon sign illuminated roof top signboard for departures and arrivals.
5. Installation of new Oman heritage, cultural pictures at few selected areas within terminal buildings
6. Carrying out Expansion works for smoking rooms at the passenger waiting area.
7. Installing stainless steel flowers pots, pedal operated large capacity liter bins.
8. Carrying out full maintenance and refurbishment works at the Airport mosque.
9. Installation of air master and auto janitors units for critical locations in the terminal building.